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Hmm, looks like that last one was hit or miss. All well. I also like the image of the Sentret perched on top of the Mamoswine for the best view; it seems so like them/certain small animals.

Well I didn't get as many entries prepped for November as I had hoped for, but there's two completed and I intend to get another one done today. Also, kind of weird that there's two requests for Charmander there.... the one I'll be working on today is the Charmander and Magmar entry and I already have an idea for that. Sorry! And I got Combee too (it was with Munchlax). So that leaves me with... Teddiursa/Latias? Anyone dare me to do it anyhow?

Some would be surprised at that, to learn that a Ghost Pokemon like a Misdreavus would hate Halloween. But he did. Nights were supposed to be quiet and dark. Halloween night was noisy, filled with lights, ‘spooky’ recordings, decorations, and sugar-crazed kids. Even the Safari Zone wasn’t spared, as management had offered a special deal tonight: come in costume and get ten balls free. There were also parties arranged at the main lodge, the zoo, and all the rest houses. The noise was just awful.

The Misdreavus hid in a tree and muttered to himself. Everyone was so happy; how was he supposed to scare anybody? Most nights, it was pretty easy. Get them into one of the narrow tree-lined paths, then dash up behind them and shriek like he was a monster. The Safari Zone customers would scream and turn around, but he would be gone by then. Those times were delicious.

Yes, fear… the fear of others emitted such a rich aura. The red pearls around his neck were filled with fear auras that he sipped at to keep his strength up. But tonight, it seemed he wasn’t getting any more fear. But he wanted to try. It didn’t feel right to just give up on the night, especially so soon after the sun set. Keeping away from the decorated areas, the Misdreavus searched for a victim.

He found one in the narrow tree-lined paths, a boy walking alone. The Misdreavus came onto the path behind him, careful about staying in the shadows. As usual, it wasn’t an easy feat; the boy was looking at the trees around him, searching for an interesting Pokemon to capture. The ghost crept up on the boy, then when he stopped, shrieked his most bone-chilling shriek.

To his triumph, there was a moment of fear and startlement. But, only a moment. It soon turned to embarrassment. He hoped forward into a ring of light and turned around. “Hey, how dare you try to scare me? Now face the smashing wrath of the mighty Hulk!” The boy brandished large green foam fists into a fighting posture.

The Misdreavus’ eyes went wide, then he fled, crying out in fear. He rushed around trees, making a few branches snap as he flew by. Trying for cover, he dropped down into the bushes, but nearly barreled into a smaller yellow Pokemon. He turned aside in time, but ended up crashing into a tree. “Oooogh…” he groaned, dropping to the ground.

Next to him, the Weedle paused, spooked. That might have revived the Misdreavus, but he was in a bit much pain from hitting the tree at full speed. Once the Bug calmed down, he scuttled over him. “Hey, I thought you ghosties were supposed to phase through things.”

“Ugh… yeah, but I need to be thinking about it to do it.” He lifted himself of the ground a bit and looked back nervously. “Did it follow me?”

“What follow you?”

“That human boy,” he closed his eyes. “So scary.”

The Weedle twitched his large red nose. “One of the costumed kids scared you?”

“Not just any costumed kid!” the Misdreavus said, looking at the other Pokemon. “He had these huge fists and his skin was green! That’s so unnatural on a human. And that snarling mask was just awful”

He sighed. “Yeah, when it’s not this night. By the way, what are you doing up? Isn’t it late for you?”

“Ahhh,” the Weedle blushed. “Well I was feeling the need for a little nibbly snack, but the plant I had curled up under just did not smell appetizing. So I came and hunted out this delectable fern over here. Want some?”

“No thanks.”

At that point, a shrill voice broke through the trees, causing them both to freeze. Some girl was singing boisterously. “I will give it to you,” the Weedle muttered, “that these kids are real annoying tonight.”

“Why are you singing loud songs when we’re supposed to be hunting Pokemon?” a girl’s voice asked.

“You’ll scare all the Pokemon away with that voice,” the older girl replied. “Besides, why do you think you’ll find Weedles here?”

“Be-cause the website said that they got a special group of Weedles in this week, and I want to be the first to catch one!”

“It’s dark out.”

“Well, either I’ll wake one up, or one will be out looking for a little nibbly snack.”

“Sounds like your kind of person,” the Misdreavus commented, even though he didn’t know the Bug too well.

But he seemed to be right. The Weedle perked up. “Right! But I’m not sure I’ll be able to get over to them in time. Kind of hard to walk fast when you’ve got these,” he stuck out his stubby little feet. “Could you help?”

“Why should I do that?” he asked. “I hardly know you.”

“Well it’d be nice, and, well…” he stalled, then came up with something. “Oh, I know! I can help you try to scare them!”

He did have that sharp poisonous horn. “Maybe. What do you have in mind?”

A couple of minutes later, the Misdreavus as carefully carrying the Weedle through the trees. The younger girl had started singing loudly again, much to the older one’s annoyance. That made it easy to find and follow them. And the one girl was dressed as a pirate princess Weedle, maybe. She had a pink dress with black skulls printed along the bottom, which might have been saucy on a girl who actually had breasts. With that, she wore a black pirate hat marked with a skull and crossbones. And with that, she had a Weedle-like segmented tail, a large oval red nose, and a large spike o top of her hat. It was a weird ensemble.

The other girl, who was an older teenager, was better put together in terms of costume, although it was still weird. She wore a long pumpkin orange dress trimmed with black lace and a black ribbon belt with a large bow on her back. She also wore fancy black leather shoes, a orange bow tied around her head, and a black choker with a white lacy heart. On her arm, she carried a frilly orange and black parasol that was closed.

“You ready?” the Misdreavus whispered.

“Ready,” the Weedle said.

At that, he tossed the smaller Pokemon at the girl in the frilly dress, then shrieked as usual. The older girl screamed as the Weedle hit her shoulder and tried to swat him off. Fortunately, he jumped off her before he got smacked and she got poisoned. That was a right tasty fear which the Misdreavus would enjoy later.

The younger girl was spooked by all he screaming, but was soon delighted. “Ooo, sis, it’s a Weedle! And, and, a Misdreavus! Awesome!” She threw a green Safari Ball at the Weedle, quickly capturing it.

Gathering her nerves, the older girl turned and saw him. He thought for a moment about fleeing; it’s what he usually did, frustrating young Trainers by fleeing, then scaring them witless minutes later. But then the girl pulled something out of her bag that smelled tempting. It was a sticky rice ball and he tossed it over to him. “There you go.”

Oh, now what? He should flee, but that rice ball smelled so good. Almost as good as fear. It had been a while since he ate anything physical, he recalled. So he threw caution to the wind and dove down after the treat to eat it.

“Why don’tcha just catch her?” the Weedle girl said.

“How do you know that’s a girl?”

“Well it’s a Misdreavus. Aren’t they all girls?”

No, he thought with a grumble. But the rice ball was just right: a bit warm, a bit sweet, a touch spice, and all around good.

“There are males out there,” the older girl said. “Anyhow, I gave it a treat because I’ve heard that the few they have here are notorious for fleeing and escaping.” She pulled out a Safari Ball and tossed it at him.

The energy started to pull at him, but he easily broke out of it. He wasn’t done with the treat yet! He growled, watching them warily. Just because he’d stay for a snack didn’t mean he’d stay with them.

“See what I mean?” the older girl said.

“There’s that fowl beast!” a boy’s voice rang out in the forested area. “Hulk Smash!”

Freezing in fright, the Misdreavus immediately forgot the rice ball and jumped. He spotted the weird green kid and whimpered. “Oh please, not you again…”

“Hey, cut it out!” the older girl called, throwing another Safari Ball. But this time the Misdreavus didn’t fight it. If she could take him away from that crazy boy, he would be fine with losing his freedom.

Some time later, the Misdreavus was released into the main lodge. To his dislike, it was noisy and crowded here, with a fog machine running. The two girls were there, with the park Warden. “Ah yes, that would be one of our older residents you’ve caught,” the Warden said. “He scares so many people after dark, but he is really quite timid. Good catch, young lady.”

“Thank you,” she replied.

The Weedle he had helped was now on a table nearby, bopping around to the music playing. He now wore a little version of the girl’s pirate hat, although his had a hole in the top for his horn to go through. “Oh hey, you got captured too!” he said. “That’s cool. My girl, she made me a pirate Weedle too, and even nicknamed me Swabbie! Arrr!”

“Don’t pirates live out on the oceans?” the Misdreavus asked.

Swabbie paused. “Hmm, I guess. But so long as there’s plenty of good plants aboard our pirate ship, I wouldn’t care.”

“Well I only brought one accessory for a costume for what I caught,” the older girl said, pulling a red scarf out of her bag. “I just won’t make a bow out of it. Hold still.” She wrapped it around his head twice, the tied it at the side of his head. “I believe that I will call you Ricardo.”

The newly nicknamed Ricardo the Misdreavus shook his head, trying to see if the scarf would come loose. “I’d rather not be at this party.”

The younger girl giggled. “He looks like a ninja now! But our pirate and ninja have got to get along, cause we’re sisters and they gotta be friends. Right?”

“Ninja?” Ricardo asked. “Why would we fight if I’m a ninja and he’s a pirate?”

“I dunno,” Swabbie replied. “But hey, if they’re sisters, then that means we can be friends! Sweet!

“I suppose,” he said, then sighed. “This life is going to be nothing like the one I left behind.”

...

Emerald entry: A Weedle has an extremely acute sense of smell. It distinguishes its favorite kinds of leaves from those it dislikes by sniffing with its big red proboscis.

Misdreavus Platinum entry: A Pokemon that startles people in the middle of the night. It gathers fear as its energy.

Last edited by Ysavvryl; 31st October 2010 at 5:01 PM.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

So, I managed to get to the goal of 50,000 words in NaNo in four days (yay!) but then my brain kind of broke today (aw), and I ended up writing this little mess. I hope you like it. Now please excuse me while I go chase after my escaped crackfic muse...

This is Bill the Tyranitar. He’s a tall bulky Pokemon with bright green scales, skin as tough as granite, and a mouth full of sharp carnivore teeth. Although his ancestors were once the terrors of the prehistoric era, rampaging across the landscape and sending all the smaller Pokemon scurrying if not to their doom, Bill is actually just a big softie.

Now Bill is a mild mannered fellow, working by day as a balloon salesman in the local mall. He’s quite popular with the kids and sells lots of cute balloons, like shiny Pikachu balloons, plump Jigglypuff balloons, and pink heart-shaped balloons. On occasion, he sells metallic Tyranitar head balloons, which are a big hit with the boys.

But then one day, Bill’s life completely changed. He had been at the mall’s Mexican restaurant, which was having a one day special. If a customer could finish eating a super-sized fiery inferno hot bean burrito in one sitting, then he or she could get an entire week’s worth of meals free from the restaurant.

“Oh boy!” Bill says. “I may be mild mannered, but I love spicy Mexican food. Put on some extra jalapenos!”

But unknown to Bill, the restaurant owner had made this offer in a devious manner. He wanted to draw in more business, but didn’t want to actually give anyone a week of food free. Especially not someone with the appetite of a Tyranitar. So to each contest burrito, he added three drops of the infamous Toxic Hell Sauce.

“Uh-oh,” Bill says. “Am I in the right story?”

Yes, you are. So Bill goes into the restaurant around noon and enters the burrito eating contest. The restaurant owner brings out the special burritos, foot long meals that are stuffed with black beans, spiced meat, spicy rice, Spicy Jalapeno Jack cheese, spiced lettuce, hot tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, special extra-hot sauce, and the Toxic Hell Sauce. Each of the contestants picks out their burrito and begins the race. It all goes smoothly until they hit the extra special ingredient.

But our hero isn’t about to give up just yet. The lure of free Mexican meals is too much. So he keeps eating, through the second drop, and the third drop, and finishes the burrito. He has won! But little does Bill know that mixing black beans and rice with Toxic Hell Sauce creates an unexpected super mutation effect to occur. He feels the fire of the spices burning through his blood, and then he transforms…

Enraged by the infernal sauce, Bill the Gargantuan Tyranitar Mex leaps up and smashes the table into the floor, then rips out the restaurant bench and hurls it into the crowded restaurant. The customers all scream and try to escape, but then the mutation continues, causing him to grow to gigantic size to fit his new name. He burst through the ceiling and rips the whole wall out of place.

“Run for your puny lives, muchachos!” Bill screams. “Now you miserable villains will pay for every single balloon that you’ve popped!”

His old balloon cart goes flying as he kicks it to the other end of the mall, sending the cute balloons soaring to the skylights. And he just keeps on growing, eventually breaking through the concrete walls of the mall and stomping into the packed parking lot. Now even more people are screaming and running, trying to escape the wrath of Bill, but he calls forth the rocks of the Earth and sends them hurtling across the city landscape.

“Vamanos, I’m sick of all of you,” Bill shouts as he kicks the wrecked cars out of the parking lot.

Mass chaos erupts in the city as the Gargantuan Tyranitar Mex storms into downtown. He stomps onto a gas station, which explodes into a giant fireball, but does not harm Bill one bit. He picks up a Denny’s restaurant and hurls it across ten blocks, sending yummy all-day-breakfast goodness cascading over the panicking pedestrians. He fires up an extremely spicy Hyper Beam, which incinerates the local puppy orphanage.

“Oh no, not the puppy orphanage!” a random city dweller mourns.

“Mwahahahahaha!” Bill cackles.

Elsewhere in downtown, the Mexican restaurant’s owner, who turns out to be a chemistry student who snapped during final year exams, breaks down into tears near the pretty blond reporter starlet. “Oh, I’ve done a terrible thing,” he cries. “I just wanted to succeed at something and make my name known, but I foolishly used too much of the Toxic Hell Sauce and now we have to deal with a monstrous Gargantuan Tyranitar Mex!”

“Oh, you didn’t mean things to go so badly,” the reporter starlet coos, in an obvious cue into the standard monster movie romance scene.

“No you don’t,” Bill yells, storming onto the scene. “This movie is about me and I won’t have any sappy but boring romantic subplots.” He then eats the couple and flattens three city blocks in one sweep of his giant tail.

The military then jumps into the scene, sending in attack helicopters and fighter jets. “We’re here to take the monster down!” the squad leader cheers, eager to see some real exciting action for once.

“Fat chance, el stupido,” Bill snarls, then jumps into the air and slams down next to the wide river.

All of the water leaps out of the riverbed and shorts out the jets and helicopters. Quickly, Bill causes a landslide of buildings and debris to crash into the riverbed, forcing the water to find some other way through the city. Before long, the entire city is in ruins, under the reign of a giant Mexican Tyranitar.

“And the monster wins this time!” Bill shouts in victory. To celebrate, he rushes to the nearby football stadium and punts it for a field goal between the next two cities.

-+-

“Hey Bill! Bill, wake up!”

Bill the Tyranitar woke up, regular sized and not so monstrous. “What, huh? Oh, it was just a dream.”

His fellow Tyranitar snorted at him. “You smashed my foot while you were sleepwalking.”

Blushing, he stepped back. “Oh, sorry, sorry! I can never tell when I do that.”

“I know.” The other Tyranitar stormed off.

“But I had the most awesome dream,” Bill said, cheering up. “I smashed a city and changed the landscape with mutant hot sauce powers!”

“Bill, we can do that without any mutant powers. But we don’t because the humans might retaliate with nuclear weapons.”

“Right, that would kind of stink. Or, what if those nukes gave us super mutant powers?”

The other Tyranitar groaned.

…

Tyranitar D/P/P entry: If it rampages, it knocks down mountains and buries rivers. Maps must be redrawn afterward.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

My favorite reaction to that one was on FF.Net where I didn't even tell them about the NaNo thing. It was "Oh wow, I don't even know how to describe this chapter..." hehe. It had a slight Psychonauts influence to it too.

I already got Venusaur up on the request list. And, why not? I'll see if I can't throw together the leftover ones that ended up with already covered Pokemon. That would give me Latias, Teddiursa, and Venonat in one story. I have no clue how that will even work, but something tells me it could be cute.

On the mantle of the fireplace, there was a display case that held a number of military metals. They were shown off proudly, to anyone who even glanced in their direction. The recipients of those medals were an old man with rough brown skin and white hair and a Quagsire with faded skin and blue fur. But no matter how old they got, the man stayed tough and active while the Pokemon hummed and swam in the backyard pool daily.

A pair of six-year-old boys looked over the medals with awe. “So you and Quaggy were in the war, grandpa?” one asked excitedly.

“Of course we were,” the old man said, sitting down in his favorite rocking chair. “We were in the navy, on the battleship S.S. Daunting. We were among the best.”

The other twin looked over at Quaggy the Quagmire, who was swaying to some song in his head. “But Quaggy? He doesn’t do anything; how could he fight in a war?”

The old man sniffed. “He’s just fooling you. He may look like he’s got noting on his mind, and sometimes he hasn’t, but threaten him or someone he cares about and he becomes one mean fighter. Did I ever tell you about the time he sunk a battleship?”

“He sunk a battleship?”

“Darn right he did. It started during the Battle of Duke Island, and I had his Apricorn ball at my side… see, when I caught Quaggy as a kid, we didn’t have no cheap as nails Pokeballs available. Nope, they were still trying to figure ‘em out for mass production, so if we wanted a Pokemon all our own, we had to grow the Pokeballs! That’s right, you got an Apricorn seed and buried it and, if you were attentive and lucky, it grew a bush. And that bush would produce Apricorns.

“But, it wasn’t so easy as just picking them off the bsh. No, you had to properly dry it and then take it to a professional carver, who would transform it into a primitive type Pokeball. But since the process took so long, you better darn well hope that you caught the one you want, cause it’d be at least another day, if you had another dried Apricorn, in order to get another ball. And I knew I wanted a Quagsire, so I took extra caution and saved up ten of the Apricorn balls.”

“But what about the battleship being sunk?” one of the twins asked.

“I’m getting to it,” the old man grumbled. “Gosh darn kids; I ought to talk to your mother about teaching you not to interrupt your elders. Now, where was I?”

“The battleship?” one of them asked hopefully.

“No, no, I’m getting there. The Apricorns! We boys had all sorts of superstitions about what would make sure the ball got the Pokemon you waned, especially if it was something you’d be hiking and camping for months trying to get access to. Like you put them under your pillow on the night of a full moon, or you sprinkled it with water from a sacred pond, or you prayed when you threw it…”

…

“And so we got into basic training and Quaggy was first put down as a dopey looking Pokemon. I was so mad, but he was, how you kids would say, chill about it. He let those insults slide right past him like water off a duck’s back. So I did my best to be like him, but I gotta admit, I was always something of a hair trigger kind of person.”

The twins, now eight years old, listened reluctantly as their grandfather continued telling the story. It always was like this; he never got to the point about the Quagmire sinking a battleship. Really, they’d rather be outside playing, but it was icy and snowy out there and their mother wouldn’t let them go out. So they were pretty much captive by the fireplace in listening to their grandfather’s stories. Quaggy stayed by his partner’s side, humming away as usual.

“And then came a part in training for those of us who were coming in with our own Pokemon. The other guys had to go catch their own, but we got thrown into the routine right away. Like every day, we had to cross five miles with the Pokemon in accordance to how it preferred to move. Which, for me, meant swimming five miles in a pool every day. That was rough, but I tell you, I’m still one of the strongest swimmers alive today, especially at my age. I could outpace any of you youngsters. And the other guys all made fun of my Quaggy, but he just smiled and kept on trucking.”

…

“Oh, and there was the day of my date with Jill that I’ll never forget,” the old man said, cheering up after the last patch of story.

The ten-year-old twins were a bit restless. They were supposed to be getting their first Pokemon on this trip, not listening to silly romance stories. “But what about the battleship?” one dared to ask.

“Stop interrupting,” their grandfather snapped. “I’m getting there.”

“Hmm, hmmm hmm hmmm,” the Quagmire hummed.

“Yes, that date I’ll never forget” he said, sitting back in his rocking chair and smiling. “I borrowed a rowboat and took her out onto a lake. We let our Pokemon swim in the lake, since we figured they’d leave us alone. So we got out there and talked, flirted, even kissed some. It was a lovely day, so warm and perfect. And then Quaggy, minding his own business and not paying attention to where he was going, swam right into the side of the rowboat and made us capsize.

“Well Jill screamed and I did my best to get over to her and grab her, to keep her above the surface. She sputtered and was mad for a bit, but let me tell you, the dress she was wearing that day, when it got wet, it…”

“Dad!” the twins’ mother said sharply, turning red.

The old man laughed. “Okay, okay. Let’s just say that I got the boat back upright and helped her get dry. Then I realized that I’d lost something in the water, something that was very important. I panicked, but then Quaggy came up to us again and handed me a little black box. Yes, he’d retrieved the ring I meant to propose to Jill with. With that back in hand, I asked her to forgive me, gave her the box, and asked her to marry me. She didn’t quite say yes, but…” he glanced at his daughter.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Well, let’s just say she said yes.”

…

The room was pretty quiet. The twins, now twelve, were playing Battleship in order to pas the time. Over in his rocking chair, their grandfather seemed to be asleep. Quaggy was there humming as usual, but this time the elderly Pokemon was joined by a younger pair of Quagmires that the twins had trained up. Despite the fact that the stories about Quaggy never went anywhere, they’d heard enough that they had both decided to use them as well.

Then their grandfather stirred, looked around. He started talking, “So there I was, captured by the enemy and being held on their battleship. It was in the heat of battle, so they weren’t able to take me below decks at first.

The two boys looked over, then at each other. The three Quagmires kept humming a round.

“Anyhow, I heard a thump behind me. After making sure my captors were busy with other things, I glanced down and saw Quaggy in the waters, looking up at me. I mouthed at him to go do something abut the ship’s engines or rudders. And he obeyed, going over and chucking mud into the ships propellers. With a bit of daring-do, I cut the ropes biding my hands, then undid the ones on my ankles. Just before they noticed me, I jumped the railing and went overboard.

“As I’ve said, I was a strong swimmer, but even the ocean was a challenge for a navy man like me. So Quaggy came over to me and helped me get away from the enemy ship. And we hadn’t gone a hundred yards when something exploded. I felt that shockwave throughout my body, but thankfully it didn’t hurt anything. We kept swimming, but when I glanced behind me, there were giant plumes of smoke and fire on the front of that battleship. Turns out that Quaggy messed up their steering so much that they ran into one of the sea mines they were placing. That first blast ripped into their storage area, starting fires that quickly set off their other mines, bombs, and torpedoes. By the time we got back to the S.S. Daunting for rescue, the enemy battleship had taken so much damage that it sunk. And that’s how Quaggy got his Silver Star medal, for causing the battleship to sink.”

“That was an awesome story, grandpa,” one of the twins said, smiling.

“Yeah, but do you have to take six years to tell them?” the other asked.

“I did not take six years to tell that story!” the old man insisted. “I tell my stories properly, not like you kids and your texting ciphers. Good lord, before long, none of you are going to be able to spell properly. Anyhow, did I ever tell you boys about how me and Quaggy earned the Gold Star medal?”

They weren’t too sure about that, but he went ahead and started his story up again.

...

Quagsire Fire Red entry: Due to its relaxed and carefree nature, it often bumps its head on boulders and boat hulls as it swims.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

On the mantle of the fireplace, there was a display case that held a number of military medals. They were shown off proudly, to anyone who even glanced in their direction. The recipients of those medals were an old man with rough brown skin and white hair and a Quagsire with faded skin and blue fur. But no matter how old they got, the man stayed tough and active while the Pokemon hummed and swam in the backyard pool daily.

The old man sniffed. “He’s just fooling you. He may look like he’s got nothing on his mind, and sometimes he hasn’t, but threaten him or someone he cares about and he becomes one mean fighter. Did I ever tell you about the time he sunk a battleship?”

“But, it wasn’t so easy as just picking them off the bush. No, you had to properly dry it and then take it to a professional carver, who would transform it into a primitive type Pokeball. But since the process took so long, you better darn well hope that you caught the one you want, cause it’d be at least another day, if you had another dried Apricorn, in order to get another ball. And I knew I wanted a Quagsire, so I took extra caution and saved up ten of the Apricorn balls.”

“No, no, I’m getting there. The Apricorns! We boys had all sorts of superstitions about what would make sure the ball got the Pokemon you wanted, especially if it was something you’d be hiking and camping for months trying to get access to. Like you put them under your pillow on the night of a full moon, or you sprinkled it with water from a sacred pond, or you prayed when you threw it…”

Then their grandfather stirred, looked around. He started talking, “So there I was, captured by the enemy and being held on their battleship. It was in the heat of battle, so they weren’t able to take me below decks at first."

Chelsea the Charmander was all excited. She had been picked to become a part of the Fire Gym’s roster! That meant that she would be trained by one of the masters of her type, and she’d fight in all sorts of challenging battles, and she could become famous, and… oh, it was even better than being picked to become a starter Pokemon!

When one was taken by a Professor to be a starter, one never knew what kind of Trainer one would get. Maybe it would be a future Champion, but maybe it was someone lazy. Or cruel. Or simply inept. But a Gym Leader was already a proven winner and excellent Trainer. A Gym Pokemon was most likely to become great.

This was her first day in the Gym, not counting the partial day yesterday when she had arrived. Chelsea woke up early, happy and ready to go. Of course, she wasn’t going to be in Gym battles right away. No, she required extra training before she would truly see use here. She crawled out of her bed and wandered about the sleeping area while waiting on the day to begin.

It was a pretty nice place, she thought. Each Pokemon had their own spot to sleep and were well taken care of. There were a lot of others in the Gym and they were all owned by the Leader. Around her, mostly asleep or waking up, there were Ponytas, Vulpix, Ninetales, Rapidashes, a Flareon, Growlithes, Arcanines… but no others like her.

Then, the door opened, letting in an old but fit man. Blaine knocked on the door. “Rise and shine, everyone. We’ve got some early morning matches today.” He came in, checking on all the Pokemon.

Chelsea hopped out of the way, then started walking after the Leader. He went around making sure that particular ones he’d be using early were up. Now that the door was opened, some others began leaving the room. What was she supposed to do?

Blaine knocked on one boxed off bed. “Morton, come out here. I’ve got some special work for you.”

The door swung open, letting out a Magmar. The red and yellow Pokemon gave her a glance, then looked to Blaine. “What is it, boss?”

“This Charmander here is our newest member, Chelsea,” Blaine said. “Chelsea, this is Morton the Magmar. Morton, I’d like you to watch out for Chelsea in her first days as her mentor. Will that work for you?”

Morton looked at her again, then nodded to the Leader. “Sure, I’ll do that.”

Chelsea smiled, letting her tail flame flicker happily. “Thanks!”

“Good. I’ve got other things to do this morning, so I’ll work with you both in the afternoon. Help her practice until then.” Blaine then walked off with his lab coat flapping near his legs.

“What do we do first?” the Charmander asked, rocking on her feet.

“Hmmm…” the Magmar stretched, then said, “Breakfast first. Come on.”

She wasn’t about to argue that, so she followed him out to where Blaine and one of the Gym Trainers were setting up feeding stations for the Pokemon. Some Pokemon were headed outside because they ate grass; others were getting meat and a few were taking bits of coal. Chelsea liked slugs and grubs, but took a bit of the meat and a bit of the coal. Morton waited until they got him some fish.

“So what moves do you know?” Morton asked

“Um, I know Growl, Scratch, and Smokescreen. My dad taught me that last one early.” She brightened her tail flame proudly.

“Did he? You’re pretty young, then.”

“Yeah, but I’ll try to get really good.”

“You will make yourself get great,” Morton chided. “Now if you’re going to keep up around here, you have to work hard. Really hard. Most of us work out and practice every single day, so you have to do that too. And you will need to learn to make yourself do Blaine’s orders immediately. Don’t think about if it may or may not work; he’s doing the thinking for you. And don’t be afraid, even if your opponent has the advantage. Lots of Trainers bring in Pokemon that have advantages over us, like Rock types, Water types, and Ground types, so get used to it.”

“Okay,” Chelsea said, quieter. The thought made her nervous. But then, that tactic was to be expected.

After breakfast, Morton brought her to a practice area where other Pokemon had already gathered. He then had her follow her through an obstacle course not once, not twice, but three times. The first time wasn’t too bad, but on the third time, she was starting to get tired and had a harder time keeping up with the Magmar. It was so bad that even her tail flame dimmed. On the other hand, Morton seemed just fine. In face, his brightly colored skin seemed to get even brighter, glowing and shimmering in a way that made him hard to look at, like the sun.

And that was just the first exercise. He had her practicing her moves repeatedly, dodging Ember balls he tossed at her, and running straight laps. During times when they were resting, he had her watch the other Gym Pokemon participate in mock battles. She wasn’t ready to participate in those without Blaine’s assistance, but she had to know how the others behaved.

Then Blaine finally came for them. He had them fight each other for a bit, having Morton hold back so he didn’t overpower her right off. In the fight, Chelsea did her best to remember to do as ordered as soon as she heard it, but she wasn’t used to the whole ‘no thinking’ idea. Once Blaine seemed to know how she was, he had her practice her moves repeatedly on a rock pillar. They had to stop twice as new challengers came in for Blaine; he let the two he was training watch.

When the Leader dismissed them to focus on the higher-ranked evening battles, Morton ran Chelsea back through the obstacle course again. At the end of the day, she was worn out and achy. But this was what she had to do.

She nearly overslept the next day, but Morton made sure she was up before Blaine came in.

-+-

The first three months were long and hard for Chelsea. She wanted to do well, so she put forth her best effort. And Morton was a big help. While he pushed her hard, he also encouraged her and helped her with things she was having trouble with. The Magmar was still an active battler for mid-ranked teams, so Chelsea often got to watch him in battle.

In battle, Morton was a fierce Pokemon. He reacted quickly to orders and opposing attacks. His internal fires would be going strong, so the air around him warped with the heat he put off. And with that wavy pattern of colors he had, it was hard on the eyes to watch him directly. He was good and won often, although Chelsea could see that some Trainers were very tough to deal with.

But he was much more mellow outside of battle and training. When they were taking a break, he liked to go outside and sit near the shore. He said that sitting in the cool damp breeze helped make him tougher. Chelsea wasn’t sure about that, but it was fun to walk around the sand and hunt for things.

Last night, Blaine had done some moving around of his Pokemon roster, which put Chelsea into his beginning rank team. That made this another first day, her first day on active duty. She was excited again, but nervous too. The beginning ranks were done in the morning. This time, Morton stayed on the sidelines and watched her.

She had to be within her Pokeball at the start of the match, as that was the rule. It was a lot of waiting, uncertain of when she would get called out and what she would face. But her turn did come. Ignoring the Gym materializing around her, she focused on her opponent: a Geodude.

“Metal Claw,” Blaine ordered.

Following her training, Chelsea ran over and imagined her claws to be like metal. She slashed the Geodude across its face with that. She got hit with a rocky fist for that, but did her best to stay her ground. When Blaine ordered a repeat attack, she struck with Metal Claw again. This knocked out the Geodude, so she retreated back to her original position in front of the Leader.

The challenging Trainer, a young boy, then brought out another Pokeball. “Go Squirtle, Water Gun!”

“Smokescreen,” Blaine countered.

Her tail flame wavered in anxiety as she was facing a watery attack, but she followed her orders and produce a cloud of black smoke to hover around the Squirtle’s face. But she didn’t get it up in time to stop his Water Gun attack. Chelsea fainted.

Some time later, maybe just minutes, the Charmander was called back out over being revived and healed. Her tail flame was condensed as she brought her tail in front of her. “Aw, I lost my first match. I’m sorry.”

But Blaine patted her head. “You’re doing fine, don’t worry. This isn’t an easy job for any of us.”

“Yeah, you didn’t freak out in the face of a Water attack and you didn’t get too proud in defeating the Geodude,” Morton added. “That’s the kind of stoic attitude that we all strive for.”

Chelsea’s flame wavered brighter. “Thanks. I’ll keep working hard.”

...

Emerald entry: The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is happy, and blazes when it is enraged.

Magmar Soul Silver entry: The fiery surface of its body gives off a wavering, rippling glare that is similar to the sun.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

His brown hair had straw bits and dust in it, from redoing the bedding of the stable’s Pokemon. His tanned skin had scratches as some of the war Pokemon were difficult to handle. And he smelled like the castle stables, all musty, sweaty, and mucky. His clothes were somewhat decent, being that royal servants were treated decently, but still dirty from work. Perhaps the dedication that showed was making him reluctant. “Why are you taking me, Sir Edwin?”

On the other hand, the young knight was in clean trendy clothes, with a feathered cap that was quite popular in the castle town. He had a few scars from training and duels, including one dent on his nose that he liked to say came because he defended a beautiful girl. And his smell was considerably less than the stable hand’s. “Because Josh, the Pokemon the King wants is said to be attracted to those pure in heart. When the chancellor said that, you were one of the first I thought of.”

Josh rubbed his nose. “I heard all the other knights were escorting girls for this.”

Edwin grumbled. “I know that. But I got into trouble a while back and… well let’s jut say that usually if I take a maiden out into the woods, they usually don’t come back that way.”

“That’s probably why most of the lords are against your promotions so often,” he replied, setting a shovel in its corner. “You keep trying to woo their wives and daughters.”

“They probably did the same thing when they were younger. See, that’s why I thought of you. We’re about the same age, but you don’t show any interest in girls, rank, advancement, money… or heck, anything. You seem happy to just be in here looking after the Pokemon.”

“I am happy.”

“And I know it’s not because you’re into love in other ways. You’re as much pure, if not more so, than some of the maidens the other guys are talking to. And if you and I succeed, I’m sure the King will agree to let you become its caretaker if you ask.”

Josh considered that. The war Pokemon were his least favorite; he preferred to look after the work and companion Pokemon. “So what is the King after?”

“A Togetic,” Edwin said. “But before you go asking why he doesn’t just get a Togepi, which would be a heck of a lot easier, apparently the chancellor discovered that a Togetic that was captured in the wild would be more powerful than one raised in captivity from a Togepi.”

“A Togetic, huh?” It was said to be a pretty Pokemon, one that brought great luck to its allies. That was probably why the King wanted it. But, maybe it would grant more luck to the one who cared for it.

The knight tried not to grin. He figured that would get Josh interested. “And we’ve had reports confirming at least one in the Dark Woods. It’s a dangerous place, but that’s why you’ll have me along. I hope to head out tomorrow, but first I need your agreement.”

Josh nodded. “Okay. Did you want one of the Pokemon here to bring along?”

“Yeah, get Spartan ready for the search.”

Spartan… Josh swallowed nervously. “Ah, all right Edwin. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

-+-

One of the pens that the stable workers dreaded going into was where the Mightyenas were kept. The knights had no trouble handling the great canines, as they were recognized as strong and skilled by the Pokemon. But for the castle servants, only Josh and the stable master could regularly get them to cooperate. The stable hand still didn’t like being around them for long.

But they were quite strong and highly valued in their kingdom. The royal family even took on their images for their own coat of arms. Thus, the castle had a pack of twelve Mightyenas living in it. For the safety of the servants, the canines were kept locked away unless someone who could command them was keeping an eye on them.

Last night, Josh had explained that he was taking the day off and the stable master had agreed to it. He stayed around to help groom the Mightyenas that were going to be taken out today, including the one Edwin had requested. Spartan wasn’t the pack’s leader (as that one was the King’s favorite), but he was one of the strongest. He also had a well-earned reputation for biting without warning.

Josh was careful as he ran the wire brush through the Mightyena’s thick fur. But it seemed that this was one of Spartan’s more stoic days. He held still and did nothing more than eye another stable hand wandering too close to the pen’s fence. Once he was done with that, Josh got up and snapped his fingers twice. “With me, Spartan.”

The Mightyena obediently trailed a little behind Josh as they went back to his room (for the things he had packed last night), then out of the stables. They met with Edwin at the inner gates; the knight was wearing enforced leather armor today. On seeing him, Spartan left Josh’s side and went to sit by the knight. The Mightyenas tended to take orders from whoever they perceived to be the strongest leader.

“Here, catch,” Edwin said, tossing Josh a leather coat armor.

“What am I wearing armor for?” he asked.

“To keep you from getting killed, of course,” the knight replied. “The Pokemon in the Dark Woods will attack, and even with me and Spartan there, you’re at risk unarmored. Although the Togetic itself shouldn’t be trouble.”

“Fine.” Josh put on the armor; it was the first time he’d worn anything like it, although he often wore leather gloves to deal with rougher Pokemon.

As they walked through the castle town, pedestrians gave them a wide berth because of the fearsome Pokemon with them. They didn’t know that Spartan would not attack unless ordered to. Then again, some foolish knights would try taking less mannered Mightyenas though town. That often ended badly.

From the outer castle gate, there was a road that went three ways, all through farmland. But if one walked around the castle and went north, it was not that far until the Dark Woods began. Even at the edges, it was a thick forest, with only fragments of light cracking through the green canopy. Many people said that these woods were haunted or magical. They were definitely mysterious, as any attempts to tame it, even just putting a road through it, would always fail completely.

“Did the chancellor say anything about how to lure the Togetic out?” Josh asked. “I brought some Pokemon treats I thought might work.”

Spartan lifted his ears at the word ‘treats’, but showed no other interest.

“Well that’s part of our problem,” Edwin said. “The Togetic should see or sense you somehow, then come out to see you. I don’t know if it will come out when I’m around, yet I don’t want to get too far from you in this place. And there’s a bit of luck involved about if it gets close enough to us. The treats might work as a lure. Otherwise, we may have to make sure it notices us.”

“Hmmm…” Josh looked around at the old trees and the thick bushes. “My mother used to say that singing lured Pokemon like Togepi and Togetic out.”

The knight grinned. “I know plenty of good songs. I use them on girls all the time.”

The stable hand gave him a skeptical look. “Edwin, you know a lot of bawdy songs. I doubt it would come out to dirty lyrics.”

“That could be true.” He stretched his arms up. “How about you sing?”

“I don’t think I’m any good at it,” Josh said.

“You still sing to the Pokemon to calm them down and they don’t freak out.”

“True.” He thought for a bit, then started singing.

But it was several hours before they got any results. A few other Pokemon tried to attack them, but Edwin and Spartan could fight or even just threaten them off. Because of that, Josh started walking ahead of them. His friend had told him to stop if he saw or heard anything suspect. And that’s what he did when he heard a humming sound.

He put his hand up to let them know to hold back for a moment. Then he looked over to where he heard the humming. Quickly, it moved to over him, then to the other side. A flash of white appeared among the trees, and then the Togetic was hovering in front of him. It was a lovely little creature, with white feathers all over, red and blue speckles on its chest, a long neck, and two dainty wings. However, it didn’t seem to be using those wings to be hovering.

“Krrrrukkkuuu,” the Togetic trilled, happy to see him.

“Hello, Togetic,” Josh said. “The King…”

“Spartan, snatch it!” Edwin called out.

“Wait, no!” the stable hand called.

But the Mightyena followed his orders, rushing their way with sharp bark. Josh panicked at the sight, knowing what this Pokemon was capable of. The Togetic was also startled. Thinking that Josh was in danger, it stirred up a gust of wind trying to knock the Mightyena off course. While it rattled many bushes and leaves, Spartan kept going and leaped at the Togetic, grabbing it with his teeth.

“Edwin, stop him!” Josh yelled.

“We were told to capture it.”

“You’re going to hurt it badly.”

“Okay, drop it, Spartan. Back to me.”

The canine dropped the smaller Pokemon, huffing because he thought they’d been hunting food. But he went back to Edwin and sat by him. Now that Spartan was away, Josh knelt down and looked over the Togetic. It had several wounds from being bitten and its left wing was broken at the bone

Fortunately, Josh had thought to bring some healing plants and bandages, although he hadn’t expected to use them on the Togetic. He brought out a cloth, but didn’t use it quite yet. “”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen. I’ll help you, if you let me.” A wild injured Pokemon, even one like this, could be dangerous.

It trembled, but allowed him to wrap the cloth so as to stop the bleeding. “How else did you think we were going to get it?” Edwin asked.

“We could have tried talking to it,” Josh replied, careful to keep anger out of his voice as he didn’t want to scare the Pokemon. “Or putting it to sleep; I did have some of the treats laced with sleepy berries. Now we’re going to have a hard time earning its trust.”

“You seem to be doing just fine. I just thought that’d be the fastest way…” Edwin’s voice trailed off and he looked down at the ground.

So he was just being his usual one-track self. “If you want to help, get a campfire started and find some water to boil so I can clean it up good. And you might want to set up camp while you’re at it, as it’s late.”

“I suppose. Stay where you’re at until I have a good camping site.” Edwin snapped his fingers twice at Spartan and the two of them started looking around.

-+-

Although several groups had gone out into the Dark Woods, Josh and Edwin were the only ones to come back with a Togetic. The King was delighted even though she was injured and had a group of rooms in the castle remade into a place for her and her caretaker. And he readily agreed to make Josh that caretaker. Josh then spent most of his days taking care of the Togetic, although he still had to go down to the stables as they needed him to help the stable master with the Mightyenas still. Edwin got a cash reward and had his past record of getting in trouble cleared.

But it was still several days before Josh would fully accept Edwin’s apology about ordering Spartan to attack the Togetic. Serena, as the Togetic had been named, was wary of the Mightyenas and Edwin while she was injured. But she healed up fast and could soon hover in short bursts. She would come near Edwin for a greeting, but then return to Josh.

“We do capture some Pokemon with violence,” Edwin said one day. “Although, I didn’t think until recently that maybe that’s not so good. That’s just what they told me to do.”

“You never had to care for those injured newly caught Pokemon like I have,” Josh said, redoing the bandages on Serena’s wing after checking up on her healing bone. “And sometimes I think that if you apply real thought and energy into things besides seducing girls, you could do great things.”

The young knight laughed. “Maybe. But I don’t get the same kind of reward for other things, you know?”

Josh shook his head, but smiled. “And sometimes I think it might be too much effort for you to be a decent person,” he joked.

“Well not everybody finds it so easy being an angel like you,” Edwin teased back.

The doors opened suddenly, startling the Togetic. The King, his personal guard, and two Mightyenas came in. Of the latter, one was Spartan and the other was the King’s favorite, the pack leader Nox. Josh bowed hurriedly, then finished taping up Serena’s wing. Edwin saluted.

“How is she doing?” the King asked.

Bowing again, Josh turned to him. “Your Majesty, she’s recovered her feathers so the bite scars are hidden. Her wing bone is still healing, but she seems not to need it to hover. She should be just fine in another week.”

“Good,” he said softly. Then he held his hand out to her. “Serena, come to me.”

The Togetic squeaked uncertainly, eyeing the two Mightyenas. Then she hovered up to Josh’s shoulder and sat there. From the way she was crouched down, she had no intention of going over to the King.

“Come to me,” the King said sternly.

Trying to help, Josh walked towards the King. “Your Majesty, she is newly caught and I’m sorry, but I’ve been healing her and haven’t had much time to train…”

Serena squealed and took off from Josh’s shoulder to hide in a potted plant. Even if she liked Josh, she wasn’t about to go near the King.

“She’s supposed to bring good fortune to our lands,” the King said with a threatening tone. “So you had best get her to obey before she can fly away, boy.” He stepped towards Josh, causing him to shrink back.

And then a strange thing happened. The two Mightyenas lowered their ears and started growling. But not at Josh. No, Nox and Spartan were both backing away from and growling at the King. It seemed that even if they recognized the King as strong, they weren’t about to let him get away with threatening one of their caretakers.

“Stop at once,” the King demanded. But they didn’t listen. “Silence!”

“Nox, Spartan, back off,” Edwin stated firmly.

They listened to the knight, stopping their growls. Both glared at the King, then went over towards Edwin and Josh, making it clear that they weren’t going to let this disrespect slide.

As for the King, he looked furious. But he knew better than to mess with the Mightyenas. “Get her trained and get her to stay,” he said, then left with his bodyguard.

“As much as I appreciate their help,” Josh said, looking to the two canines, “Serena still doesn’t like them.”

“I’ll handle them,” Edwin said. But he was more serious than usual. “We, we could be in trouble for this. The King doesn’t take disrespect from Pokemon well. I’ll ask around and see what strings I can pull if it gets dangerous.”

“You have strings you can pull?” Josh asked, trying to make a joke to dispel his nervousness. Making the King angry was not a smart move.

The knight smirked. “Hey, maybe I get guys jealous, but there’s some powerful ladies that might lend us a hand if I ask. Don’t worry, I’m looking out for you, I promise.” He snapped his fingers twice to get the Mightyenas’ attention. “Nox, with me. Spartan, post yourself outside the door. Protect Josh and Serena, got it?”

Spartan wagged his tail and gave a soft woof, then trotted out of the room to stand guard. Nox obediently walked alongside Edwin as he went to go check on things. Once they were gone, Serena came back to Josh’s shoulder. She cooed worriedly.

Gently, he patted her neck. “Don’t worry. He may do a lot of dumb things, but he doesn’t break his promises.”

...

Emerald entry: It is said to be a Pokemon that brings good fortune. When it spots someone who is pure in heart, a Togetic appears and shares its happiness with that person.

Mightyena FR/LG entry: It will always obey the commands of a skilled Trainer. Its behavior arises from its living in packs in ancient times.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

Spartan. Now there's a good name for a Mightyena. *makes a note of it* Nice work!

I sometimes use "uber" Pokémon. I sometimes calculate stat values. I never use cheating devices. I sometimes try to breed my way to perfection (and maybe fail), and I care about natures to an extent. But I like my Pokémon the way they are, and treat them like individuals instead of brainless drones. If you use this philosophy, copy & paste this into your signature.
(Adapted from Tyranitar's philosophy.)

Claims:
David Tennant
Viggo Mortensen

Sort of back! Playing through Black 2 and working through my Dex. PM me for inquiries!

^Okay! And it's been a little while. Kabutops was a really hard one to write for.

Oh, it's December, so I'm looking for reserves for the winter solstice and Christmas! Maybe even New Year's. Be sure to check the index in the first post to find out what has and hasn't been covered. I've gotten the two obvious ones of Stantler and Delibird already, after all...

Also, I had an idea for about the Black and White release. I'd like my readers here to suggest various fifth gen Pokemon as the first one covered. Whichever one gets the most nominations will be picked. But, I'll actually do two fifth gens then. I will take the other nominations and put them in a poll on my FF net account to see what the readers there want to see done. That will probably happen sometime in January. How's that work for you all?

The sunlight filtered through the warm ocean waters, causing the orange scales of the small fish to sparkle. There was a great school of them, swimming in unison to appear like a much larger fish. While it worked on most animals, there were also the Pokemon in the waters. They were much harder to fool and much harder to get away from.

Without warning, a blob of mud was hurled through the ocean water. The small orange fish all turned as one to avoid it. Then a sleek brown shape darted underneath them. It soon turned about, dashing right through the school and slashing through the water with deadly large scythes. Four of the small fish fell to the attack, while the others hurried to get away. But the Kabutops knew better than to pursue them and leave what he had gotten for others to steal. He pulled the four dead ones in and curled his spiny body up around them, so as deter any predators that might come after him.

After consuming all that he could, he left the empty husks behind and swam towards the beach. The sun was traveling in a low arc and the waters, while still warm, were cooling off. It was that time of year and the competition seemed like it would be rough this go around. Now that the sun was setting, he needed to go out there and prove his worth.

Times were still primitive and the Kabutops didn’t think of much beyond surviving to the next day. Sometimes if he came across a gathering of Kabuto that were having difficulty, he would fight the one harassing them. That was normal, just making sure that his kind overall survived as well. But this was the time to attract a mate and he would have to think to some degree for that. Sure, one could win over some females just on strength. But the better ones tended to be more demanding, looking for a male with some cunning as well.

At some point in the distant generations, it had been decided, more or less, that it was best to prove this by finding some unusual item and showing that off. His kind lived underwater constantly, though, so finding a suitable item could take months. Then, some renegade male had tried going out onto land to find something. It was incredibly risky, as it was harder to function on land, much less identify potential threats and fight them. Now in his generation, getting an item from land was nearly a requirement for finding a mate.

The Kabutops listened to the waters warily. Would one of his competitors be around going onto the beach tonight? There weren’t as many Kabutops as there were Kabuto, so he had managed to claim a good sized territory. But there were only so many places to go onto land from, and he would be going into a rival’s waters to reach the beach.

There were many kinds of fish about him, some steering clear of him to avoid being killed. Pokemon were fewer, but they were definitely out there. But a Kabutops like him, he didn’t sense his rival or any others. He kept up a quick pace, though, just in case.

As he got closer to the shore, the waters got shallower. Eventually, he was able to rest his legs on the sandy ocean bottom and raise his eyes above the salty water surface. The beach was only lit by a half moon, but he was used to seeing through the low light of the ocean. Nothing moved on the sands or in the skies. But he’d been surprised on such trips before, so he spent a few minutes watching and waiting.

It still seemed quiet, so he took a deep breath, taking as much water into his gills as he could manage. Then the Kabutops left the waters and went onto the beach. Without the water to support his body, it required scuttling low across the sands like he used to do before he evolved. It was undignified, but he didn’t really care. He had to find something that would work.

A strange almost sweet smell reached his nostrils. It seemed like some kind of food. Curious, he followed the scent to a bush that bore bright red and orange berries. They were strange and shriveled, like nothing he would find underwater. The Kabutops decided to sample one and stuck a mouth tendril onto the berry to taste it.

Immediately, a hot burning sensation hit his taste buds. No, this berry was way too spicy! The Kabutops sputtered, then decided to bolt back to the water and rinse his tendril out. Only, that didn’t work as he had hoped; it just spread the spicy burn further around. It was almost painful and he spent a lot of time rushing about, trying to find something to cool his tongue.

After catching another fish and eating it, the stinging sensation was soothed enough for him to calm down. Those spicy berries would not be suitable for a gift. He did have to find something, but that incident had worn him down more than he had planned for. Resting for a while, he observed the beach. Once he felt up to it, he inhaled more water and returned to his search.

But there wasn’t much. There were discarded shells, but those could be found underwater. There were small rocks, but nothing really seemed outstanding. Away from the beach sands, there were more berry bushes. But after the last incident, he didn’t want to try any more land foods.

In time, the water in his gills had gone stale and he had to return to the ocean to release it, then gather more. He gathered more for a third trip, but still found nothing. He did see his rival Kabutops scuttling across the beach while he had been investigating under the bushes. As they couldn’t sense as well up here, he stayed under the bushes and observed the rival. He had something that looked worthy, some kind of glossy blue stone. However, his shell seemed quite dry. Wherever he had gotten the stone from, it was some distance from the ocean.

He didn’t know if he’d want to risk following that path for another blue stone, if there were any more. But it wouldn’t look good to come up with something less worthy than his neighbor. This was the time for thought, though. Perhaps something could be done about this without risking staying out on land. He took something, then returned back to the ocean waters.

Not long after he returned, the rival Kabutops was headed right for him calling out a battle challenge for the invasion. He stopped in the water and pulled his scythes close to his chest in a submissive posture. He called back in apology, that he would be gone soon. However, the rival wouldn’t accept that excuse at this time. He appeared in the water slashing his scythes at nothing. It was a sign that he would rip the intruder apart. After staying submissive, he held out one of his scythe arms and released a peace offering. The spicy wrinkled orange berry.

This caused the rival pause, showing his pretty blue stone better. On considering it, he smirked, then swam forward slowly, mockingly swiping a scythe just an inch from the intruder’s face as he snatched up the berry. And instead of tasting it gently to drain, the rival consumed the berry whole.

Within a second, the rival’s eyes had gone wide. He tried to spit the berry out, but that was difficult for them to do. He shook his face trying to relieve the burning spice; again, that did not work. Now the one smirking, the rival snatched the blue stone away, then bolted through the water as fast as he could.

Back in his territory, the Kabutops took a closer look at the blue stone. It was oval in shape and had a strange black mark on it. That looked like the Unown that sometimes roamed the beaches; he had seen a few over his lifetime. Now this was a worthy item to give as a mating gift. He went to a sheltered cave to rest, placing the blue stone under him in case his rival appeared. Tomorrow, he would head deeper into the oceans where the female Kabutops generally stayed. This would be a good year.

…

R/S entry: Kabutops swam underwater to hunt for its prey, in ancient times. The Pokemon was apparently evolving from being a water-dweller to living on land as evident from the beginnings of change in its gills and legs.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

Request: How about a triple challenge... Could you do Shinx, Glaceon and Weavile? (For Winter Solstice, perhaps?) Thanks.

EDIT: Praise and crit:

I really enjoyed this story. For a very naturalistic piece it was actually quite funny (in a very good way).

These excerts made me laugh XD:

A strange almost sweet smell reached his nostrils. It seemed like some kind of food. Curious, he followed the scent to a bush that bore bright red and orange berries. They were strange and shriveled, like nothing he would find underwater. The Kabutops decided to sample one and stuck a mouth tendril onto the berry to taste it.

Immediately, a hot burning sensation hit his taste buds. No, this berry was way too spicy! The Kabutops sputtered, then decided to bolt back to the water and rinse his tendril out. Only, that didn’t work as he had hoped; it just spread the spicy burn further around. It was almost painful and he spent a lot of time rushing about, trying to find something to cool his tongue.

This caused the rival pause, showing his pretty blue stone better. On considering it, he smirked, then swam forward slowly, mockingly swiping a scythe just an inch from the intruder’s face as he snatched up the berry. And instead of tasting it gently to drain, the rival consumed the berry whole.

Within a second, the rival’s eyes had gone wide. He tried to spit the berry out, but that was difficult for them to do. He shook his face trying to relieve the burning spice; again, that did not work. Now the one smirking, the rival snatched the blue stone away, then bolted through the water as fast as he could.

OH-CRAP-TOO-SPICY-HELP!!! It's an almost meme-quality funny visual.

Some things I would change though:

Now the one smirking, the rival snatched the blue stone away, then bolted through the water as fast as he could.

This is a tad confusing. Change it to:

Smirking, the Kabutops snatched the blue stone away from his [insert adjective for the spice-overwhelmed Kabutops here] rival, then bolted through the water as fast as he could.

And instead of tasting it gently to drain, the rival consumed the berry whole.

A little awkward. I like the technically-grammatically incorrect hanging conjunction, but it should be changed to 'But:'

Oh, the poor spice-afflicted Kabutops XD I can only imagine how the rival felt upon eating the whole thing. Speaking of which, it was interesting that you had them use tendrils for mouths, a la Omastar. I never really thought about it before, but it makes a lot of sense.

The B/W thing sounds cool, so I think it'd be nice to use a fifth gen Pokemon that's also cool: Smugleaf Snivy.

I'm all caught up again and might I say, I really enjoyed the Bastiodon-Rampardos one. The unstoppable force and the immovable object was genius, I loved the physics element behind it. Only you could have come up with such gold.

I'd like to suggest a Magmortar and Electabuzz one for New Year's, if you will accept. They don't really fit on the surface but I thought of my own little theme for it.

Okay, so I've got the three holiday stories set. But the Christmas one is a mystery! That pretty much has me set for the rest of December on requests. And with this story, I have all the Kanto starters covered.

The Jungle of Flowers was colorful and beautiful, but dense and bewildering. So many flowers bloomed there at all times of the year, in every color imaginable. But with vague paths that often vanished under undergrowth for a hundred feet or more, it was hard to keep track of where one was. The leaves overhead covered the sky, and the many trunks obscured any potential landmarks. Still, it could be a lucrative place to clever explorers; seeking out rare flowers to bring back and sell in town would turn a tidy profit.

That is, so long as the team didn’t get lost and have to hire another explorer team to come find them.

In this place, she blended in quite well. Vesta the Venusaur had a brilliantly red flower on her back, of such a tone that she was obviously not a native. Her kin that lived here had pale flowers as the jungle canopy filtered out much sunlight. Because of her bright flower, she and her partner (both of Team Coral) had an easier time in the jungle than others, as the native Venusaurs would not bother them. Indeed, some males might even show off by fighting off other jungle natives for them.

Just so long as they didn’t attack her partner. Walter the Wartortle was a Water type, and so he always had some trouble in navigating the Jungle of Flowers. Yet he knew this place better than her. If he got into a pinch, he could always use his fluffy white tail and algae coated shell to hide among some bushes. He was holding onto the Weeping Orchid which had been their goal, using his power over water to keep it alive while they left. Or tried to leave; they had gotten lost.

“I’m sorry,” Vesta said. “I wasn’t born here and I don’t remember the way we came.”

“It’s okay,” Walter replied, looking around. He pointed to a clump of bushes. “It seems we’re headed in the right direction; those only appear in the deepest part of this jungle.”

“How are we getting out if we go deeper?” she asked, looking over the bushes. They were very distinctive, with large violet leaves and pinkish flower plumes towering overhead.

The Wartortle chuckled. “I set up a teleport pad one time I was in here. Finding the clearing it’s in is a bit tough, but I tried to leave some signs along the deep trails.”

She blushed. “Oh, right. I didn’t think there would be one here, but our team goes in here a lot, huh?”

“Yeah, we do. You know how we accept rescue missions from the poorer Pokemon?” When she nodded, he went on. “We use flower collecting in this jungle to make most of our money, so that we’re capable of covering the costs of such rescues. Most of those without much money will enter those close to town, but occasionally you get ones desperate enough to go to more distant and dangerous places. The end costs of such missions can be far more than what the client can afford. But that’s okay; no one ought to be denied because they can’t pay a good reward.”

Vesta smiled. “That’s great. I’m glad I joined a nice team. But I still have a lot to learn, don’t I?”

“You do, but don’t worry,” Walter said. “Oh, here’s one of the paths, and I think…” he walked over to a cluster of ivy that was growing up oddly. Carefully holding the orchid in one paw, he cleared the ivy with the other. There was a sign underneath, marked with Unown symbols. “Ah, we’re back on track. Can you read this?”

“Maybe.” She went up to the sign, causing him to step aside. “It’s been awhile since I’ve read this… ah, it says that ‘To leave, stay on this path’. This is one of yours?”

He nodded then nudged aside more of the ivy to continue down the path. “That’s mine, so I’m pretty sure I know where we are now. It’ll take a little while, but we’ll get to the clearing. As I was saying, I think you will make a great explorer in time. And I’ve trained a lot of novice explorers too.”

“I’ll do my best, then. But Walter, I didn’t think you were that old.”

That made him laugh. “Ah, thank you, I suppose. I am one of the founding members of Team Coral, you know.”

“You are?” Vesta asked, her eyes widening in shock. “But I heard that Team Coral was a legacy team from a distant town, generations old. I mean, Dana says that her grandfather was in Coral.”

Walter shrugged. “We’ve been through nine leaders this whole time. Including me for a brief time, but I never liked being leader and the center of attention. My mentor, a Corsola, founded Team Coral after her last team broke up and I was one of the first members, just a trainee like you at the time. The members have changed a lot, but Coral has never really broken up; I always decline suggestions of changing the name because of that. I’m the only original member left, but I’m fine with letting younger and sharper minds lead.”

She twitched her flower petals momentarily, letting its calming scent stir up briefly. “Wow, I didn’t think you were that experienced. But you’re still in your second stage, right? I’ve managed to impress the light springs twice already. Why haven’t you evolved yet?”

“That.” His expression faltered for a moment, as if saddened. “Well I made a promise a long time ago that I would get something done before I evolved again. It turned out to be harder than I thought, and I failed several times. I might be able to get through that dungeon easier if I was a Blastoise, but I don’t want to break a promise in order to fulfill it. So I turned to training new members of Coral and myself until I might be strong enough.”

“Well you are very strong and skilled,” Vesta said. “I mean, you set up a teleport pad here, in the deepest part of a Grass dungeon, and set up signs in case others get lost. And if that’s still not enough, maybe I or the others could help you.”

Walter smiled a little at that. “You would have to train a lot in order to accompany me into that place. But thanks for the offer. Maybe that could help me.”

“I mean to train myself to be much tougher anyhow,” she told him, smiling warmly. “And you’re respected by everyone on the team, so I’m sure they’ll all help too. What dungeon do you have to get through?”

The Wartortle waved his paw at the tall trees. “It is much deeper and longer than this place. It lies far away and few people know about it. But I’ve been there several times. It is a place of wonder, but much danger.”

As they walked along the path in the Jungle of Flowers, Walter told his tale of the mysterious dungeon. It put many strange images and dreams in Vesta’s mind. But that only made her more determined to help Walter fulfill his promise there somehow.

…

Emerald entry: Venusaur’s flower is said to take on vivid colors if it gets plenty of nutrition and sunlight. The flower’s aroma soothes the emotions of people.

Heart Gold entry: It is a well-established symbol of longevity. If its shell has algae on it, that Wartortle is very old.

Last edited by Ysavvryl; 15th December 2010 at 1:27 AM.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

It was a whiteout. Snow fell thickly on the already packed ground. From the looks of things, their car was going to be buried in the white stuff before long. The man looked at his cell phone. “Still not getting a signal,” he said, then sighed. “I’m sorry; this storm came in faster than I thought it would.”

“I know,” the woman said wrapped in a yellow blanket. In her lap, there was a Trddiursa who seemed to be the only content one in the situation. Of course, he was a young Pokemon, and as long as his people were around, he felt safe. He sucked on his left paw, looked up at her, then offered his sweet and sticky right paw to her. “No, I don’t want that.”

On the dashboard, a large puff of a Venonat was sitting with her eyes half closed. Little spots of shiny dampness showed where she had been, as her feet, and indeed whole body, was covered in a film of mild poison. She didn’t seem too bothered by the cold, unless her current sleepiness was triggered by it. “Krikrikri,” she clicked, then stiffened, her eyes jerking wide open. The Venonat turned and looked outside. “Tisk.”

“I thought we could get to my parents’ house in time,” the man said (for the tenth time so far). “Now no one is going to find us in this weather.”

“Calm down, dear,” the woman said. “There isn’t much we can do besides wait on a good signal and hope that we can get help soon. And no one is hurt, so that’s good.” She petted her Teddiursa’s head, making him mumble again.

“I should have been better prepared,” he replied, then looked over to where his Venonat was hopping across towards his side. Her compound red eyes were starting to glow faint pink. “No, Venonat, for the last time, no eyebeams in the car. Especially not now.”

The energy faded from her eyes as she looked to him. “Tsktsktsk,” she muttered, sounding worried. She looked back outside at the world of white.

“What has you so agitated?” the woman asked the Venonat. “You were half asleep a moment ago.”

But the Venonat’s attention was outside the car, trying to find something. But when the humans looked, they saw nothing but white. “She can see really well in the dark,” the man said. “I’m not so sure about this blizzard, though.”

It was quite in the car interior for a couple of minutes. A little while ago, they had the radio on. The storm made also it difficult to get the radio in clearly. Without that, there was just the gusting wind outside, howling and rattling trees occasionally. The snow flakes barely made a patter as they landed on the car. On the woman’s lap, the Teddiursa leaned back against her chest and kept licking through his paws. The Venonat eventually hopped over to the other side of the black dashboard, making little plastic scuffles as she did so. Her antennae were twitching.

“We could always return the Pokemon so we can get into the backseat and cuddle under the blankets,” the woman said.

“What, now?” the man asked.

She chuckled. “To keep warm, silly. What did you think I mean?”

“Well, you know,” he said, but left it at that. He checked his cell phone again. It still had no signal. “We’ve got some water, just so long as we don’t get hungry.”

“There’s the Teddiursa honey,” she pointed out.

That suggestion got a look of disgust. “From his paws?”

She shook her head, then put her hand on the Teddiursa while she leaned over. “No, the stuff I make. I brought a jar of it for your parents, but if we have to break into it.” She got back up with a decorative jelly jar filled with a cloudy amber honey inside. “They mix Beedrill honey with mashed up berries and let that soak into their paws. I just mix the honey with pureed berries. It’s a bit sweet… no, thank you,” she interrupted herself, waving down another offer of a sticky paw.

“If we’re here for much longer, we could open that up,” he agreed.

“It’s…” she stopped again, glancing out the window. A pink and white face was looking back at her, hanging upside-down from the roof. The woman screamed, startling the creature into vanishing.

“What?” the man asked, looking out her window. But there was just white snow out there, banks of it threatening to swallow them whole. He did see as his Venonat’s eyes started glow again. “No eyebeams in the car,” he stated again.

“Pfffst,” the Venonat said, sounding annoyed at being kept from defending them, but stopping her attack.

“Mmmhmm?” the Teddiursa mumbled around his paw, now looking wide-eyed around the car. The scream had finally worried him too.

The Venonat squealed, then turned to look out the front window. The two humans did as well in time to see something. But, was that something nothing? The snow that was piling on the roof ever since they skidded off the road crunched down under the weight of two triangular shaped paws, yet there was nothing there. The air over the hood rippled strangely before turning into the pink and white Pokemon.

On seeing her, neither of the humans knew what they were dealing with. She was bird-like, with a coating of feathers and winds. But her face was like a mammal’s, smoothly rounded without a beak. And her body structure was more reminiscent of jet planes than birds. Leaning down to look in at them, she blinked her black eyes slowly, not seeming threatened or threatening at all.

“What is that?” the woman asked, clasping her Pokemon. The Teddiursa responded by relaxing again.

“It’s like no Pokemon I’ve ever seen,” he replied.

“Kurrreee!” The pink Pokemon smiled at that, her amused cry coming through to them. She then tapped the windshield, seemingly curious.

The Venonat decided to reply with a series of clicks and antennae twitches. On hearing that, the strange Pokemon seemed surprised, then concerned. She nodded, then scrunched down on the hood and closed her eyes.

“I always wondered what Pokemon were saying to each other,” the man said. Right then, the car abruptly moved without turning on. “Huh?” He grabbed the steering wheel.

On the windows, the snow started tumbling off. Then the piles of snow began to recede. No, the car was getting lifted out off the ground and into the air. As there was no other reason that the car should suddenly be levitating, it had to be the doing of the strange Pokemon on the hood. They looked out the windows to see where they were going, but the thick snow obscured everything, even making it hard to see their rescuer sometimes. At least, the humans that the Venonat tried to see. The Teddiursa mumbled to himself and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

Then the car was jostled again as it hit the ground. “Shuuessasii,” the pink Pokemon said, then ruffled her feathers. In a moment, she had vanished again. A shifting of the car indicated that the now invisible Pokemon had taken off.

And there was a dark haze in front of them, perhaps solid. A building? “Hang on,” the man said, pushing off his blanket and starting to open the door.

“Be careful,” the woman said, trying not to disturb her sleepy Pokemon.

He nodded, then got out of the car. Immediately, he was assaulted by snowflakes. After closing the door, he walked to the front of the car. He paused, then came back and opened his door back up. “It’s that McDonalds and it seems to be open.”

“Of course they would be,” she said, smiling. She nudged her Pokemon a bit. “Come on, Teddiursa, we’re getting out of this car finally.” She put the jar of honey back, then picked up her bag to get out of the car. The Venonat tried to fly out, but soon had to be returned so that he didn’t get blown away in the strong winds.

The man looked above them and thought he might have seen a bit of pink through the white snow. “Thank you!” he called out.

“She rasa!” came a cheery reply.

They found out much later that their rescuer was a Latias.

…

Sapphire entry: Latias is highly intelligent and capable of understanding human speech. It is covered in a glass-like down. This Pokemon enfolds its body with its down and refracts light to alter its appearance.

Emerald entry: It licks its paws that are sweetened by being soaked in honey. A Teddiursa makes its own honey by blending fruits and pollen collected by Beedrill.

Venonat Fire Red entry: Its eyes act as radar, enabling it to be active in darkness. The eyes can also shoot powerful beams.

Note: Another one of Latias' entries suggests that there are multiple Latias too, but I decided against that one.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

Three stories in a row and no comments? All well. They were clustered close together. And I kept forgetting the fifth gen nomination list. Be sure to suggest some, or second/third another. I'd like a fairly good list for later.

The first paragraph here doesn't work out quite as well as I'd like. There is no real autumn-like area in Sinnoh, so I did the best equivalent. It would be neat if there was, though.

Sinnoh was sometimes called the land of four seasons. There was the warm and sunny southern portion that often seemed like summer, with its beaches and the dry region near Oreburgh. There was the spring-like color and wind in the western area of Floaroma and Eterna. Over to the east, there were the autumn-esque chilled rains and trees that tended to turn color early (and stay colored late) around Veilstone. And then there was the northern area of Snowpoint, almost constantly snowy.

It was the official start of winter by the calendar, but Snowpoint had already been cloaked in snow for months. Those who lived there for long enough got used to it, wearing sweaters and snow pants all the time. Except for the local Gym Leader, Candice, who often wore haut couture fashions that were usually more suited for hotter climates. Like today’s outfit of a blue gingham mini skirt, a sleeveless white blouse, and a pale blue scarf. A silk scarf, at that. It was quite distinctive and cute on her, but it should not have been appropriate for the ice rink of a gym she ran.

‘Someday, I’m going to find out her secret,’ Tracy thought. She was a Trainer of the Ice Gym, had been one for ten months now. She wasn’t quite as hardy against the cold, so she came to work in various colored parkas or patterned sweaters. While she did her best to put together things that looked good, it wasn’t nearly as daring as anything that Candice wore.

Near the end of the day, she was checking over her two Pokemon, a Glaceon named Purdita and a Weavile named Gabriel. There hadn’t been many challengers today, so they didn’t seem too tired. She and the other Gym Trainers were in a room in back, preparing to close the building for the night.

But the others were gossiping about something. “Yeah, it roams the forests between here and Lake Acuity,” one boy said. “We saw it last night, a strange flash that’s here and gone.”

“But are you sure it’s a ghost?” another boy asked. “It could be a Ghost Pokemon.”

“Of course it’s a ghost. Haven’t you heard the story of the girl in white? She was drowned in Lake Acuity over a hundred years ago when her jealous boyfriend pushed her in. Her ghost flickers across the forests in brief flashes, just like me and my brother saw. It is her.”

“Creepy,” a girl said.

“Isn’t the girl in white supposed to be wearing a white dress?” Tracy asked. “You just said it was a low flash along the ground. It’s probably some Pokemon.”

“I can be the girl in white,” Purdita said, swishing her tail smugly.

“No you can’t,” Gabriel said. “I’m more human shaped than you.”

“But I can be!” the Glaceon insisted.

“You could go find out,” Candice suggested. “There is an Ice typed Ghost Pokemon which could be mistaken for a girl’s ghost. If it is a ghost, you might have an interesting discovery on hand. That is, if you’re not too scared.”

“I’m not scared,” one of the boys insisted. “I’ll get proof of that ghost.”

Tracy considered the informal challenge. Different Pokemon did come out at night. But it would be so much colder too. At any rate, Gabriel would be able to see in the darkness, so she was less likely to get lost. “You two want to go out for an hour or so?” she asked her Pokemon.

The Weavile smiled and nodded. “Finding a ghost ought to be fun.”

Yipping, Purdita stood on her hind legs. “Yeah, I like going outside! Can we go see the rock again?”

“That’s a little far,” Gabriel pointed out.

Tracy patted Purdita, then put on her gloves. “Okay, let me get prepared and we’ll go looking around the forest.”

-+-

After picking up some potions and Pokeballs from the store, Tracy and her Pokemon followed the west road out of Snowpoint. There was a full moon in the dark sky, so the darkness wasn’t that much of a problem. Still, the moonlight caused the snowy forest to have an otherworldly glow, with the sparkles of water crystals and the spots of evergreen in the white. The air would be quiet, then there would be crunches of snow of in the distance, a snap of a frozen stick, or a Pokemon’s call seeking something out.

“This is the kind of night you would expect to see ghosts,” Tracy said. “That or the lake guardian casting illusions near the water.”

Purdita sniffed around the snow, moving about in uneven spurts. “Lots of Pokemon about,” she mumbled. “Not sure about ghosts, though.”

By the human’s side, Gabriel ruffled his natural fur collar and searched all around them. His ears twitched. “I’ve never seen a Ghost Pokemon in the forest. There were tales of other spirits, though, not just the girl in white.”

“Are they friendly?”

He snickered and snapped his claws. “Not all of them.” He then hopped towards an icy rock and looked it over. “Hmm…”

“What is it?” The Glaceon looked over at her partner.

“Territory disputes,” the Weavile stated, moving his claws above some markings. He scratched out a few of his own. “That ought to throw them for a loop.”

“Silly,” she muttered, then moved ahead. On sniffing again, her ears pricked up. “Oh, here’s something not like the rest. The smell is fresh too.”

Gabriel came over and checked it out. “Definitely not a native,” he said. Then he waved to Tracy as a signal that they had found something.

“Got a trail then?” she asked. “Good, let’s see what it leads us too.”

The three went off the regular route and into the evergreen forest itself. Purdita kept to the front, sniffing around to keep track of where the strange Pokemon had gone. Staying with their Trainer in case of trouble, Gabriel looked around for other signs, whether disturbed plants or markings from his kin warning or discussing some stranger. There was a few nibbled plants, stray blue hairs, prints from a Pokemon not used to the snow. But most lost Pokemon wouldn’t get this far north of Mount Coronet.

Then the Glaceon stopped, looking up. There was a dark colored Pokemon ahead. There was a spot that flashed, then a mass of bright sparks came off it. After a moment of moving, the flash vanished, leaving just crunches in the snow. “Ack, bright!” Purdita whined.

“Then don’t look,” Gabriel said, closing his eyes and dropping down on all fours to run after the sound. Purdita yipped at him, then waited for Tracy to start running before chasing him.

“I knew it was some Pokemon,” Tracy said, then stumbled briefly. She regained her balance as she kept chasing after her Glaceon.

Ahead of them, Gabriel flicked his collar back to dash under a fir tree. He heard a crackle ahead as the stranger tried to use its flash to throw him off. He kept running, though, until he heard the Pokemon breathing. Then he leaped at it, pinning it down into the snow. Briefly, he opened his eyes to see a small black and blue feline under him. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“Let me go!” he replied, struggling in a panic. His fur began to crackle.

“Gabriel!” Tracy called out.

“Hmph.” He kept his front paws on the stranger to keep him there, then stepped aside. “You’re lucky I’m not one of the wild ones.”

“A human?” he said, puzzled. The crackles died off.

“Oh, it’s a Shinx,” Tracy said, coming into view. “That explains the flashes. That’s weird, though. You don’t see them around here.”

“The town isn’t that far from here,” Purdita said, looking to the northeast.

“Uh, really?” He sounded embarrassed, but quickly lost that to his concern. “My Trainer is in trouble; he got hurt in this forest. Can you guys help him get to town?”

“We could get help,” Gabriel said, letting the Shinx go. He held his right paw up and made some signs to indicate that this one belonged to another Trainer and that they ought to follow him. “Will you lead us to where your Trainer is?”

He got up. “Yeah, sure. I didn’t want to get too far from him. That must be why I didn’t find town.”

Tracy came up to the Shinx. “With a human, then. That makes more sense; you’re hurt, though. Hang on, and then you can lead us where you want.” She brought out a potion and sprayed it over the cut on his back. He sniffed it, then started off deeper into the woods.

Fifteen minutes later, they came to a snow cave dug into a drift by a cluster of pines. “He can’t move far, so I dug this out for him,” the Shinx said.

“Ooo, nice work on it,” Pudita noted.

Tracy knelt down by the entrance. “Hello, are you in there?”

A confused male voice answered, “Huh? Are you with the rescue team?”

“No, but I can call them for you. Are you hurt?”

“Yeah, I think I broke my foot a while ago.”

“Well stay in there for now; it’s probably warmer in there.” She pulled her cell phone out of her bag. It had large type buttons, which was useful when making calls in the cold.

While she made the call, Purdita grinned. “You had people thinking you were a ghost, Mr. Shinx, with all that flashing.”

“Did I?” he asked. “Oh, and call me Max.”

“The observations weren’t made by an observant human,” Gabriel noted. He flicked some snow at the Glaceon. “But you still can’t make yourself look like the girl in white.”

She huffed and tilted her diamond-shaped ears back. “I can too! Just watch me.”

Moving off a few paces, Purdita closed her eyes to focus her power, then stood up on her hind legs and drew in warmth from the air around her. While it was freezing air, there was still some warm energy she could pull out. She was then surrounded by tiny sparkling icy crystals as the moisture in the air solidified into a diamond dust. And when she was standing like that, it did surround her almost like a dress. That is, until the ice crystals dropped down to the floor.

Max tilted his head. “Wow, that was kind of ghostly,” he said.

Swishing her tail, she bounded back over. “Told you I could.”

“Maybe if the viewer was further off, it could be successful,” Gabriel teased.

-+-

The next day, Tracy got to the Gym late. She explained about what the flashes in the woods were. “I went to the hospital to check up on them,” she added. “That’s why I was late.”

“How are they?” Candice asked.

“The Trainer’s going to be in the hospital for a while, but the doctor thought that he should recover okay. And I gave the Shinx an extra fleece Pokemon blanket I had around, because the hospital’s still cold to visitors.”

“Well that’s a good reason to be late,” the Leader said. “But, you’ll still have to close up with me tonight.”

Tracy shrugged. “Sure thing.”

…

Shinx Diamond entry: All of its fur dazzles if danger is sensed. It flees while the foe is momentarily blinded.

Glaceon Platinum entry: By controlling its body heat, it can freeze the atmosphere around it to make a diamond dust flurry.

Are you accepting fifth gen nominations that don't have English names yet? If so, then I'll nominate Morobareru. That's the Pokeball mushroom final evo, FYI. Oh, and I'd like to request a Nidoking/Venomoth story. In case you haven't picked up on it, I have something of an obsession with the Poison-type.

Anywho, the latest few shots have been to my liking, the latest being a new personal favorite of mine.

One thing I hate about long running works like this, TV shows and published series included, is that when the story continues after it was planned to end, or just has been around for a while, it goes and reuses old characters and settings in an attempt to ease the beggers.

I commend you Ysav, for keeping it fresh and creating new characters each time. I realize that it helps that the pokedex entries are as varied as they are, but reversing some sereotypes, rearranging some common tropes, and of course adding a dash of comedy helps just as much.

You will go on making theese above average stories. As long as you just keep to your guns and create a new story each time, keep on interesting others with unpredictable genders and tempraments, and above all else, take a break when you begin to feel too comfortable.

Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year! I have Heart Gold now, so now I can remember Johto a little better. This year for the holiday, I've got a story of two oddballs I hope you'll like.

@Missingno. Master: yeah, I kind of know that, heh. I'll take the Japanese names too, as I'm sure that by the time I can write the story, English names will be available.

@White-Charizard: I'll just add those to the nomination list for the 5th gen premier story.

@Baton Passer: Ah yes, that was a great comic. I stopped following it regularly around the Crescent Lake/Volcano dungeon, though. And thanks for that comment! I do work to consider each of the entries as individual stories. I hope they all end up a little unique, although I worry sometimes about copying myself by accident. It has been a long while that I've been working on this now.

That’s what they’d been told, and so there they were, not fighting. Not yet, anyhow. Over by the window, Breloom was grooming his green mushroom cap to get off some dust. It was gray and cloudy outside, but he didn’t mind either way. On the other side of the room, Poliwrath was tearing apart some leftover present wrapping. She had been on edge for much of this visit. While she could endure the cold well enough, the dry indoors air did not agree with her blue amphibian skin. Even when she stayed near the humidifier, it was still too dry for her liking.

“Whatcha gonna do when you run out of paper to play with?” Breloom asked, shaking his head to see if any more loose skin or dust was there.

“I’ll find something else,” she answered. “Like maybe trying to take that cap off your head again.”

He chuckled. “Not likely. You didn’t even get close last time.”

She clenched her white-gloved fist, then pointed at him. “I do have the strength to do it, if you would hold still in a fight.”

“We’re not supposed to fight,” Breloom said. His grooming seemed to be done, so he had to find something else to do too. “That’s what Mike’s grandma said. And while we’re here, we gotta do what she says.”

Sighing, Poliwrath picked up the scraps of colorful paper she had and dropped them into a trash bag. “I know, I know. I’m just saying that you’re always jumping about like some over-caffeinated Mankey in a fight. Someone could get nauseous in watching you.”

He smirked. “I don’t know if I’m like a Mankey. I don’t rage quite that much. Anyhow, that’s how I’ve always fought.” He hopped from one foot to the other and back for a bit. “Keep on your toes and punch like the breeze.”

“With no power?” she said, teasingly. She punched out a fist. “I fight with power, always.”

Still hopping about, Breloom made a feint with his right fist, then punched with his left. “I fight with technique, always. Quick and to the weak spots. Some power, yeah, but I don’t have big tree trunks for arms like you do.”

Poliwrath got up; they were still twelve feet from each other, but she punched in his direction again. “You’re the plant around here, bending to the will of the breeze. I am sturdy; nothing bends nor breaks me.”

He winked. “I bend so that few can fully hit me. You cannot win if you cannot hit your foe, but you can win if they cannot hit you. It works even better if they are distracted and cannot do anything.”

“You mean using dirty tricks like putting your foe to sleep, or paralyzing them. Hmph. I do not need such tactics to win.”

There came an annoyed shout from the other room that there was to be no fighting in the house.

Poliwrath rolled her eyes. “We weren’t fighting then. Just discussing matters.” But although they could understand the humans, the humans couldn’t understand them.

“And practicing taunts?” Smirking, Breloom hopped over and nudged her. “Well she just said no fighting in the house. Want to go out on a walk?”

“A walk would be nice,” she agreed, so went into the other room. She had a human-like hand and could operate the doorknob; he only had paws with stubby fingers.

Outside was cold, with wet snow on the ground. Poliwrath’s feet scrunched right through it, hitting the near-frozen mud underneath. But the wetness made up for any coldness and she was already more comfortable out here. Breloom hopped over the snow, barely leaving impressions there. Usually, Grass Pokemon didn’t like winter’s chill.

“You all right here in the snow?” she asked.

“I’m tough enough to withstand this chill,” he replied, although he still kept from staying on one spot too long. “And I was the one to suggest this. Why, you worried about me?”

She snorted. “No, but I don’t want to get yelled at by Mikey when you get frostbite.” Well maybe she was concerned, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.

“Well I’ll stand up for you if he does. Come on, there’s a nice spot just over this hill; I remember it from last time.” He bounded on ahead. She remembered it just fine, but let him take the lead anyhow.

Over the hill, there was a dip that couldn’t be seen well from most of the house. That made it a good sparring ground when Mikey’s grandparents didn’t like Pokemon battles taking place. and they did often complain about that kind of thing, saying Pokemon battles were too noisy and rough. And why did Pokemon and kids these days always have to be so violent, the grandma would say. Both of the fighting Pokemon were certain that it must have been much the same in the past and the grandparents were just refusing to acknowledge it. Besides, they had more fun fighting than not.

The rim of the dip was lined with pine trees covered in snow, while the snow was at least a foot deep in there, maybe more. The sky was all gray, not going to snow now, but maybe later. And it was far enough from the house that the machine noises from the human devices was muffled, almost absent. A few wild Pokemon were calling out, but they were in the distance, keeping closer to their food sources.

“Kind of a romantic place, don’t you think?” Breloom said teasingly.

“I didn’t come out here to flirt,” she said, then made a snatch for his head. “I came to snatch that silly cap off your head.”

He had made a backwards tumble to get out of the way, but was soon back on his feet. “Hey, that’s a part of my body and I’m very proud of it.” He punched out one of his small fists. “I challenge you to a boxing match for that!”

“Boxing?” she said, sounding indignant (although it was really fun). “You’re just a feather weight and I’m a heavy weight. I’ll smash you to bits and then take that cap too.”

Poliwrath then tried to sweep her arm to the side to catch him. He just hopped onto her arm, then jumped away. “But I can endure longer than you can. You’ll wear yourself out within the hour bouncing around like that, while I can cross the whole ocean and not get tired one bit. Once you get tired, then I’ve as good as won.”

“Hah, maybe you can, but that’s swimming, not sparring! I’ll land so many hits on you that you’ll fall right over like the big lump you are.” He laughed playfully and got in to punch her on her swirled stomach.

She went to feint like he did, but he dodged both the feint and the punch, then showed her his own double-feint punch. He was right in that he was really hard to hit physically when he was boxing like this. Then again, she would turn out right too if he made a mistake. But that was part of this sparring practice, to make sure both of them would make less mistakes in the battles that counted.

Breloom then managed to land an extra hard hit on her, to her face no less (after jumping onto her head, and while back-flipping off, he had punched her with his tail). It jarred her so much that she fell over into one of the snowdrifts on the side of the dip. While she’d seen (and felt) some of his tail punches before, this one proved that he was getting stronger too.

After a moment, he hopped over to beside her, looking concerned. “You okay? I don’t want to get yelled at either if you fall unconscious. That’ll be hard to explain.”

“It’s not too bad,” she said, but stayed in the snow. So cold, but the dampness felt good. “And is that all? I wouldn’t want either of us to get in trouble, because then Mikey might separate us. Then I couldn’t see your beautiful sparring motion.”

Poliwrath grinned, snatched his foot, then threw him across the dip. “Got you!”

She heard a muffled shout. As she got up, he was pulling himself out of a snow pile that he had gotten half buried in. He shook the snow out of his mushroom cap. “Aw man, now I’m gonna have ice crystals up there! Thanks a lot… not. And you were the one complaining about dirty tactics.”

Laughing, she replied, “Well you have shown me that it works.”

“But this is boxing! And that was a bit much…” he scowled, looking off to the side.

One seeing the look on his face, and hearing the sharp tone in his voice, Poliwrath felt pretty bad. Maybe that had been too far. Although, she hadn’t really thought about things in those terms. They were just friends. “Um… I’m sorry. I thought you might see that as a joke.”

His mood calmed down at that. “It would be a nice joke, I suppose.” Then Breloom shook himself and started hopping again. “Geez, and I shouldn’t be letting myself stop and get chilly this time of year. Hey, want to build a snowman? It might be tough with this kind of snow, but that would be fun. And it would show how you and I can withstand anything, even winter games.”

She laughed again, relieved. “Sure! We’ll make a really big snowman and impress Mikey with it.”

The two Pokemon then got to work gathering up snow and deciding on how to put it together.

…

Poliwrath Emerald entry: Its highly developed muscles never grow fatigued, however much it exercises. This Pokemon can swim back and forth across the Pacific Ocean without effort.

Ruby entry: Breloom closes in on its foe with light and sprightly footwork, then throws punches with its stretchy arms. This Pokemon’s fighting techniques put boxers to shame.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

It was New Years Eve and there seemed to be celebrations everywhere. In Ecruteak alone, there were at least eight parties going on, some by invitation only. But the one held below Bell Tower was open to anyone who came by. There were dozens of colorful paper lanterns, lots of good things to snack on, cheerful music playing, and many activities to join. However, the tower itself was closed off to the visitors, guarded by two local monks.

Pokemon were allowed to wander the party too. Unfortunately, that meant that their trainer was showing off her prized Snubbull and gushing over other people’s fancy and dressed up Pokemon. Pan the Plusle and Mina the Minun found themselves looking for something to do on their own. “Well I suppose she’s just excited about her new capture,” Mina said, rubbing her blue-tipped ears. “We’ll still be important to her.”

“I wish I could tell her not to give me a girly ribbon to wear,” Pan grumbled, tugging at a red ribbon around his neck; it had a bow behind his head. “We could have swapped colors.”

He shook his head. “Nah, humans never understand us Pokemon. Anyhow… hey, look at that!” He hopped off into the crowd.

“Pan!” Mina ran off after her friend. Weaving around the feet of other humans, she added, “Don’t get in trouble!”

“I won’t,” he said, stopping by a tree. There was a Pokemon sleeping there, one that was much larger then they were. It was a bright yellow feline with jagged black stripes across his body. Unlike most of the other Pokemon, he wasn’t dressed up for the occasion. “Man, how is he sleeping through this noise?” Pan poked at the larger Pokemon’s side.

“Maybe he’s really tired,” Mina said quietly to him. She tugged at his pink-tipped tail. “So we should leave him be.”

“Huh, no, I ain’t sleeping,” the other Pokemon grumbled, opening his eyes briefly. “Just resting my eyes.” He looked over at the crowd. “Oh, has it started already?” He yawned and stretched his arms out, nearly knocking the Plusle over in the process.

“The party started over an hour ago,” Pan told him. “Hopefully it can keep going, cause clouds have moved in. We don’t want to get rained out. Hey mister, what are you? Why aren’t you dressed up?”

“Clouds, huh?” He looked up through the leafless trees. “I live here, so I don’t have to be all showy. I’m an Electrabuzz, by the way; call me Buzzard. I have an important duty.” He grinned, showing sharp teeth. “Clouds… hah! Hey squirts, want to race me to the top of the tower?”

“The top of the tower?” Pan asked, sounding interested.

“See you there!” Buzzard then jumped up and dashed over to Bell Tower with incredible speed. He opened up a window to enter the building, then vanished inside.

“What?” Mina asked, worried. “But nobody’s supposed to go inside there. I mean, maybe if he really does have an important duty…”

He shrugged. “What else are we gonna do? Besides, they never open the doors, so when else are we going to get a chance to look around inside? Maybe we can find something nice too.”

The Minun put her paw to her chin. “Well, you’re right in that we probably won’t get in any other time… it could be interesting inside.”

“So let’s go!” Pan bounded off towards the open window. After a second’s hesitation, Mina followed after. No one noticed them going in.

Inside, they were reminded of Sprout Tower’s interior. This place looked much the same, with wooden floors, a large swaying pillar, and wooden ladders. The differences were remarkable, though. Instead of statues of Bellsprout, there were beautiful statues of a strange bird Pokemon. The same Pokemon was on painted silhouettes on the walls. After admiring one of the statues, Pan and Mina went to the ladder and hopped up the steps to get to the next level.

And Bell Tower was much taller than Sprout Tower. There were Rattatas scavenging around, as well as the occasional Gastly in the shadows. Being small and nimble, the two were able to avoid most of the resident Pokemon. They could not avoid one Pokemon, though. He was even larger than the Electrabuzz, with brilliant orange and red feathers covering his bulky body. A large burlap sack was by his side, one that seemed nearly as big as him. But they had seen one like him before, a Magmortar. And that made him a very powerful Pokemon indeed, one they didn’t want to fight.

Pan stopped briefly, then indicated to Mina that they should try sneaking by. She nodded; that’s what she was thinking too. With the Magmortar sitting there, they should be able to dash for the next ladder if need be. However, his ears pricked up and the Magmortar looked to them. “What are you two doing skulking about?” he asked gruffly.

“Oh, um, we’re just exploring,” Mina said, crouching down closer to the floor.

“Yeah, Buzzard challenged us to a race, although there’s no way we’re going to win,” Pan admitted. “But we want to see the top too.”

“Hmph, so that explains that.” He shook his head. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t hurt you if you’re not looking for a fight. I’ve got enough work as it is lugging this thing to the top.” He patted the burlap sack.

Now that he seemed friendly, or at least not malicious, Mina hopped over closer. He did look tired. “Why’re you doing that, Mr. Magmortar?”

“My trainer asked me too, although he couldn’t come in himself. I had to sneak in here in the middle of the day myself. There should just be one more level, and then we’re at the roof. The weight’s making my arms ache, though.”

Pan pricked his ears and stood up. “I’d imagine. Hey, we can help you feel better if you want. We’re trained therapeutic electricians.”

“Really?” he asked skeptically.

“Oh yes,” Mina said. “We use our powers to help our trainer every day. She wouldn’t be able to travel otherwise. It doesn’t hurt; it’s just a little tingly at first.”

“Hmm.” He considered it, then nodded. “All right, if it would help me reach the top. I want to do this too.”

“We need to see your arms,” she said. Once he held them down, the Plusle and Minun checked over him. It seemed like it was as he said, his muscles aching due to the heavy load. They could find the important points of his nervous system, as their innate electrical sense could feel even those minute points of power. With those found, they applied small sparks of electricity to those points, giving his energy a fresh boost.

After working on both arms, Pan said, “Okay, that should do it. How’re you feeling now?”

The Magmortar rubbed one arm, then smiled. “Oddly refreshed. I should be fine now; thank you, small ones. You may call me Magnar.”

“That’s a nice name,” the Minun said, smiling back. “I’m Mina, and this is Pan. Well let’s get going to the top before it’s too late!”

“Right!” Pan agreed, then bounded over to the ladder.

Magnar got up, picked up his heavy sack, then followed them up the stairs. But at the next level, Pan and Mina found themselves facing a group of four Rattatas. The purple rodents seemed annoyed, grumbling at something. “Why does he always have to… hey, you! What do you think you’re doing here?”

“Um, we’re just exploring,” Mina said. “We’re not going to make trouble, honest.”

The Rattattas laughed or sneered. “Oh yeah?” the one said, coming a step closer. “Well this is our floor, and we don’t let intruders off lightly. You’re gonna wish you never set foot in here!”

Behind them, there was a heavy thump as the burlap sack was tossed up onto the floor. The Magmortar then appeared through the ladder hole. Holding on with one hand, he adjusted the other until it looked as though he had a small cannon in place of his lower arm. “Hey,” he said, looking calmly towards the Rattata group. “I can burn you to the bone in one shot. Feeling lucky, punk?”

That stopped their laughs. “He’s with us,” Mina said, standing up with more confidence.

“Oh, er, is that right?” The Rattata backed down. “Uh, in that case, I hope you like your visit. Um, leave us be, please.” They then scattered off into holes along the floor.

Pan chuckled, then looked back to their companion. “Hey, thanks Magnar. That was cool.”

“No problem,” he said, coming up fully and picking up his sack again. Then he dropped his voice so only they could hear, “Not that I would really shoot fireballs inside. I might torch the place by accident and I wouldn’t want that to happen.”

Pan laughed again. “And you’re the one who didn’t want to come in here.”

“Well I hope that we aren’t going to get in trouble,” she added.

Past the next ladder, the Pokemon came to the rooftop of Bell Tower. It was an incredible place, with a staircase leading up to a large platform. A blue roof sloped down, then showed off a magnificent view of the land around them. While it was dark, Pan and Mina could make out a forest around the city below. There was one yellow light to the southeast that might have been the top of Sprout Tower, and a set of red lights that topped the Radio Tower to the southwest. And further southwest, the sweeping line of the Olivine lighthouse reached out even this far north. And in the center of the platform, there was a tall golden tower, topped with a yellow light of its own.

And up on the golden tower, Buzzard the Electrabuzz was hanging on by just two paws, searching the sky. He looked down and grinned at them. “Hey squirts! You’re much too slow to race me. I’ve been waiting forever to see you again.”

“We didn’t take that long!” Pan insisted, jumping up.

“We stopped to help Mr. Magnar,” Mina added, looking over as the Magmortar came up the stairs to the platform. “He wanted to see the top too.”

After giving a shrug, Buzzard hopped down. “Eh, the more, the merrier. So long as you don’t mean to harm the tower itself, I like the company.”

“I’ll be careful,” Magnar said, setting his sack down before looking over the edge. “Which way would the plaza below be, where the party is?”

“Um,” the Electrabuzz jumped down onto the roof and peered over the edge. Then he pointed towards the corner to the right of the stairway. “Over that way. Why do you ask?”

He nodded, then opened up his sack. Pan hopped over as he spoke, to investigate. “My trainer wants to try getting Ho-oh’s attention in a certain way. I doubt it will actually work, but it’s going to be a lot of fun.” He smiled as he pulled out a white object that seemed like a soda can. “Certainly worth the effort to come up here.” He reformed his cannon arm, then placed the object inside. After aiming over the crowd and at the sky, he fired it.

Moments later, there was a sharp noise, somewhere between a pop and a blast. A shower of orange and yellow sparkles appeared in the cloudy sky in the shape of a large orb. They glittered and fell, then disappeared.

“Oooo, nice fireworks,” Mina said, hopping over to the edge of the platform with the rest.

“So long as you don’t burn the tower down, I’m fine with that,” Buzzard said. “I’m one of the Bell Tower Pokemon guardians, you know.”

“I’ll be careful,” Magnar said, pulling out another fireworks shell to load it. “I’ve been doing this for several years now.” He shot off another orb firework, this time in red and pink.

“What do you do as a guardian?” Pan asked, looking up to Buzzard.

In response, he grinned. “I come up here anytime there might be a storm and protect the tower from lightning strikes. That’s how the last tower burned down, because a lightning bolt struck it just right. Or just wrong, I guess. I’m making sure it doesn’t happen again, especially not before Ho-oh returns.”

“Ho-oh?” Mina asked. “Is that the pretty bird Pokemon all the statues show?”

Buzzard nodded. “Sure is. Lots of people have tried to call the legendary sky guardian down, but I haven’t seen it in person. And you’re right; I don’t think firing off explosives from the top of the tower will get Ho-oh to come. But it is a nice change of pace.”

Magnar shrugged. “Who am I to say no to fireworks? Anyhow, how are you protecting the tower from lightning strikes? Don’t you Electrics attract lightning? Especially from the tallest place around, like this tower.”

“I got hit by lightning once,” Pan said. “And it was awesome.”

“I’ve been hit at least five dozen times,” Buzzard boasted. “All on top of this place, no less. Yeah, I call the lightning down; sometimes I even insult the clouds to get them all worked up too. But if the lightning strikes me, it doesn’t hurt me and I divert it from the tower. I swore that I’d never let Bell Tower get struck by lightning while I was alive, and so far, I’ve kept my oath perfectly.”

“That’s great,” Mina said, smiling.

Pan hopped onto the ledge. “Hey, you think if we make enough festive noise, with the party, and the fireworks, and even more, then that Ho-oh might come?” He clapped his paws together, sending off a small orb of sparks that mimicked the larger fireworks. “Make ‘em awesome, Magnar!”

The Magmortar chuckled. “It couldn’t hurt to try,” he said.

Mina got up with him, making sparkling pom-poms to match her friend’s. “Yeah, let’s make up a cheer to welcome Ho-oh! Wheee!” She spun around.

“We’re calling in the new year, so it’s a new chance to show off your might!” Pan added, hopping over Mina and clashing his pom-poms into hers to make a larger crack and sparkle.

“Aw yeah, this is gonna be awesome, squirts!” Buzzard cheered along.

They never did see Ho-oh that night. But the four did put on a spectacular light show which was much appreciated by the crowds below them.

…

Plusle Emerald entry: It has a trait of cheering on its fellow Pokemon. By shorting out the electricity it releases from its paws, it creates pom-poms for cheering.

Minun Emerald entry: At a meeting of Pokemon academics, it was announced that simultaneous exposure to electricity from a Plusle and Minun will promote circulation and boost vitality.

Emerald entry: When a storm approaches, it competes with others to scale heights that are likely to be stricken by lightning. Some towns use Electabuzz in place of lightning rods.

Magmortar HG/SS entry: It blasts fireballs of over 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit out of its arms. Its breath also sears and sizzles.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

With the fifth-gen games out in Japan and coming out in America in March, I have numbers for Pokemon up to the fourth and numbers for total overall. And B&W introduce more Pokemon than the first gen did! I’ve got a lot of work coming up… but I like it so much, I don’t mind.

So most everything is running into the 70 to 80 percentage range. But that will drop drastically when I adjust all numbers for Black and White. The Water type actually jumps to over one hundred Pokemon alone and it’s at fifty percent now. Ground and Rock are also hanging back in the fifty percent range too. Normal’s back at the top for now, with Dragon and Fight hanging at the bottom. The Fight type would be last place if I hadn’t pulled in the two for Christmas.

And I stopped just short of 350 Pokemon this year. All well, I'm still over fifty percent.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!